A Whole Lotta Ugly
by AnGeLofIcE1
Summary: This world has a whole lot of ugly in it. Zuko knows it all too well. Rating may go up to M.
1. Chapter 1

Hello there! This is my first ATLA fanfiction! This takes place about two years after Sozin's comet. I am sorry for any discrepancies with the main series in terms of names and locations. As for pairings... okay, we all know that it ended with Kataang (I, myself a big Zutara fan, saw this coming from the beginning). I can tell you that this story will have a variety of pairings, but they will all be rather dark and angsty if things go on as they are planned.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. It is property of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konieztko, and I will, in no shape or form, be making any profit off this fanfiction, only your kind reviews.

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Chapter One

Zuko inhaled a deep breath. The scent of the sea proved to be nostalgic. He reflected back upon his days spent aboard his ship in exile, searching, scouring the globe for the Avatar. He was reminded of his short temper, his disrespect of his Uncle and crew, his hungry desire to restore a false honor which his father had implanted within Zuko's young mind. He had come far from such times. No longer in exile. No longer hunting the Avatar. However, even though the war had ended, Zuko, like so many others, still clung to the past.

With the end of the war, a wave of great joy swept across the world. The century of oppression and bloodshed finally came to a close. At last, the world could evolve into a new era of peace and balance between the nations and elements. But for every person that was glad the war was over, there was another that demanded retribution for the Fire Nation's crimes. The Northern Water Tribe called for justice after the final large-scale attack on the North Pole took from them many young male waterbenders and their beloved Princess Yue. Their brethren to the South had not formally expressed their enmity towards the Fire Nation raids upon their small village, but many within the tribe had felt a deep-seeded anger against the raiders who captured and murdered many of the tribe's loved ones. The efforts of Chief Hadoka and Grandmaster Pakku had kept that anger from developing into violence for these past two years, but it could only be restrained for so long. The people of the Earth Kingdom, strong, proud, and just as stubborn, demanded reimbursement for being forced into slavery. Even the nobles, who surrendered to the Fire Nation just to keep their rank and fortune, demanded payment. And then there were those in the Fire Nation who believed so strongly in Fire Nation supremacy that stirred up propaganda to try and reignite the war again.

_Politics_, Zuko complained mentally to himself. He wondered in he was happier living as the rejected prince rather than living in this world of shit. As the Fire Lord, he was the one that had to deal with the backlash of this war. He and his supporters had spent the past two years struggling to keep the newfound peace. This left no time for his personal life. There was always an incident which needed to be taken care of with the utmost haste and diplomacy. In fact, one such incident was the reason Zuko was now sailing for the Earth Kingdom, specifically Ba Sing Se. There had been several increasing reports of rebellions springing up in the Earth Kingdom. The King of Ba Sing Se requested assistance to help keep down these insurgents. Fire Lord Zuko answered the call and was on his way to sort out negotiations with the King. Sure he could have sent an envoy to make the treaty for him and the rest of the Fire Nation, but Zuko needed to escape the palace and wished to see his Uncle Iroh.

Iroh, the easygoing man he was, did not want to get actively involved in dealing with the rebellion. Instead he stuck to managing his popular and successful teashop. It made Iroh happy. Zuko could not ask his uncle to leave that happiness and be thrusted back onto the battlefield. _No, it's better this way,_Zuko decided. After all, Iroh was all the family he had left.

Ex-"Pheonix King", ex-Fire Lord, eternal "Loser King" Ozai died four months after his battle with the Avatar. He had withered away, lost all his will to live. Ozai would not eat, sleep, he barely moved. Until one day, he did not move anymore. Only the next day, when Zuko charged into Ozai's cell, did anyone know Ozai had died. On the eve of Ozai's death, Ozai finally told Zuko where he could find Fire Lady Ursa. He told Zuko to journey to a village on the Southern shore of the Fire Nation. "When you find her, you will know," Ozai had told Zuko. It was hard to believe that voice once belonged to the megalomaniac. That voice was dry, barely wheezing out the words. It was broken. The next day, Zuko journeyed to that village. It was a ghost town. Zuko searched the village for any signs of life. There were none. He came upon a graveyard. And beside an unmarked grave, fire lillies bloomed. Zuko dropped to his knees as tears ran like rivers down his cheek. He knew.

Azula only lasted three months. Her cruelty and insanity were finally reflected back upon herself. At first, she screamed. For weeks, the prison was subject to her roars of rage and torment, spouting blue flames from her mouth. Then, when her voice gave out, she sobbed. Like her father, she hardly moved, just laying there, not eating, not sleeping. When her voice finally returned, Azula began to sing. The guards reported that inbetween her songs, she would often ask, "Mommy? Did you like the song? I sang it just for you. Do you love me now?" And then, three months after her defeat by Zuzu and the water tribe peasant, there was no more singing. Witnesses reported hearing Azula shriek, "Mommy! Wait for me! I'm coming!" before her cell exploded with a red fire. Nothing which identified as Azula, to the naked eye, remained. Zuko sometimes pondered what happened to his sister's blue flame. Did she really lose herself? Or was that red fire her true flame, the love she so desired from her mother? However, before Zuko could delve into the more philosophical details of Azula's suicide, he was usually swamped with more incidents and paperwork.

Before long, Zuko arrived on the shores of the Earth Kingdom. It would still be quite a journey to Full Moon Bay, and from there he would take a ferry to Ba Sing Se. With the increase in rebellions, the Fire Lord had decided it was in the best interests for him to get to Ba Sing Se the old-fashioned way. Dressed in the simple robes he wore while teaching Aang firebending, Zuko, along with five other soldiers in less conspicuous clothing, disembarked the ship and made their way on foot. The soldiers were among those that watched over Zuko in his period of exile. They were not exactly the best soldiers, but they were Zuko's most trusted in the Fire Nation Army. All five gladly jumped at the chance to serve their former prince. And now, here they were, on another ground which proved nostalgic for Zuko.

On the beaten, dusty path, the men exchanged jokes, stories of old girlfriends, and whatnot. There was great laughter among them, except from Zuko. He led their march, wanting to join in the fun, but those things never came easy to the Fire Lord. _This is just like trying to join Aang's group all over again_, Zuko thought to himself. He remembered the frustration of trying to make a good impression on those he tried to hunt down. And in the end, somehow, they accepted him, except Katara. _Katara, _Zuko's hand moved down to the star-shaped scar left by Azula, the wound Katara healed. Back then, she had good reason the reject his apology. She had opened up her worst memories of her mother to him, and he responded to that trust with fire. _I was suchf a horrible person. I guess part of me still is. _Zuko though he was past beating himself over the head for his past mistakes, but they would always seem to creep up on him. Now he led a handful of men who he probably lashed out against and beat down into the ground with anger four plus years ago. _Dammit! Why couldn't I be born like Sokka and say something horribly stupid and still have people (girls) flock to me? Wait... I want to be like Sokka? I must be going crazy._

"Hey Zuko!" one of his men, named Wan, called from the rear.

Zuko stopped and let Wan catch up to him. Wan put his hands on Zuko's shoulders and stared him straight in the eye with a serious look on his face. A pregnant pause hung in the air.

"Blo-lo-lo-lo-lo-loop," Wan sounded as he flailed his tougue at Zuko.

This cause a riot of laughter among the rest of the men while Zuko just stood there with a puzzled look on his face. "What the fuck was that?" he asked the soldiers.

Wan, still recovering from laughing, pat Zuko on the back, "C'mon, lighten up! You've been moping this whole trip! Besides, we always used to do shit like this back when you had that ponytail growing out from your bald scalp. Of course you always were sulking up on deck or something."

"Oh," Zuko simply muttered, now regretting on what he missed out on back then.

Another soldier stepped forward. This one named Liang. "What Wan means to say, my lord, is that we wish for you to join us in our rememberance of old times and share our humor."

Zuko, now embarrassed, stuttered, "Oh... uh-okay. Bah-lou-lou-lou?" he tried to imitate Wan. Pathetically.

This sparked another wave of laughter among the soldiers. "N-no haha no-haha-not like that-hahaha!" Wan struggled to speak through his laughter. "It-haha-it's like--" Wan had been cut off by the arrow now sticking through his neck.

"Wan!" Zuko yelled before he was struck onto his back with an arrow to the left shoulder.

"We're under attack! Protect our lord!" Liang cried, removing his sword from its sheath and deflecting the arrows raining down upon them. The other three soldiers bended their fire to burn away the arrows. When the attackers noticed this, they jumped out from the trees and rocks and started attacking directly with steel. One, a thin man wielding a chained sickle, lept towards Zuko. The Fire Lord roared and spat forth a flame which burned through the thin man's rag of a shirt and singed the flesh of the man's chest. Zuko's attacker's eyes bulged from their sockets.

"I-It's the Fire Lord!" he yelled to his comrades.

"Don't let them escape!" "Kill them all!" The bandits had gained a burst of energy upon discovering the opportunity to draw royal blood.

The sickle-man charged again at Zuko, swinging his weapon above his head in a circular motion. Zuko removed the arrow from his shoulder before rolling away from the sickle's path as the blade came crashing down into the ground. He saw an opening and shot a fist of fire into the already-burnt flesh of the bandit. As the bandit went down, Zuko turned his attention to his companions. Liang, although not a firebender, was a skilled martial artist, and especially lethal with a blade. His sword danced against the crude clubs and spears of four bandits at once, parrying and countering with seemingly little effort, but intense focus. The other three were dealing with the three earthbenders of the bandits. Heavy rocks exploded upon the impact of fire.

Zuko lept into the fray. From his fist sparked balls of fire thrown towards the bandits, intentionally missing their targets. The bandits surrounding Liang turned their attention to the Fire Lord. Liang took advantage of their divided attention. He grabbed the bandit to right and plunged his sword through the man's heart. He kicked the bandit off his blade and used the momentum to decapitate another bandit, who heard the death cry of his comrade and turned around to look. The two remaining bandits who had faced Liang were now frozen with terror and disgust at their comrades' corpses. Liang made quick work of them, slicing both their juggulars in one clean maneuver.

Zuko launched more blasts of fire around the earthbenders, drawing smoke from the charred ground. The firebenders took advantage of their confusion. One, with a flame in each hand, grabbed an earthbender and let out a mighty roar. The fire streaming from the soldiers mouth and palms left a corpse with a smoking grey skull. Another firebender wrapped his enemy in a cage of fire. The earthbender tried to form a protective cocoon of earth, but he was not quick enough, and only a pink husk of meat remained. The final earthbender saw that he was the only one left, and as any stubborn earthbender would, he charged. The third firebender withdrew a pair of knives and exhaled a warm breath onto them, causing the metal to glow. He ran head-on toward the earthbender. Once close enough, the firebender slid on his knees through the earthbender's legs and sliced his hamstrings with the searing blades. The earthbender dropped to his knees, and before he could bend any earth, the firebender cut both of the man's hands from the wrists.

"P-p-please! M-mercy!" the defeated man begged. The firebender wrapped his arm around the earthbender's neck. He plunged a knife into the man's back, drawing a scream, and withdrew the knife, and plunged again, drawing another scream again, and withdrew again, and plunge... scream... withdraw... until there was no more screaming.

The firebender let the earthbender's dead body go. It hit the ground with a thud more powerful to Zuko's ears than any of his screams. The firebender stood up and hobbled his way towards Wan's dead body, as if he was the one who had died. Zuko looked into his soldier's eyes. They were full of such pain. Zuko allowed the firebender to pass. Tears started to fall, growing in volume as he stumbled closer to their only casualty that day. Once the firebender had reached Wan's body, he collapsed over it, howling in pain.

"WAN! WAN! COME BACK! COME BACK!.." Zuko and the others felt the firebender's sorrow flow over them. The firebender's name was Huang. Wan was his lover.

Suddenly a noise shattered the wave of sorrow. The thin man rose from his unconscious state, only waking to find all his comrades dead. "Y-y-y-y-you're all monsters! Every last one of you!" the man yelled in a frenzy.

Liang stepped forward towards this man. "In order to protect our kind and redeemed lord, I gladly wear the mantle of 'monster,'" he declared before silencing the thin man by giving him a thin, red third eye.

"My lord, we must go," said Ahdou, the firebender who wrapped his enemy in fire.

Zuko turned to look at the still grieving Huang. "But what about..."

The other firebender, Ning, put his hand on Zuko's shoulder. "Wan knew what he was getting in to. We all did. Huang will understand. Come, we'll give Wan a proper burial."

Twenty minutes later, the five men constructed a makeshift funeral pyre. Then, all together, they set Wan's body aflame, returning one who had been blessed by fire back to fire. Zuko though about Wan, the one who opened him up to the others. Those bandits were scum, fucking lowlife dirtier-than-platapus-bear-shit scum. They had attacked with murderous intent before they found out the Fire Lord was their target. Was this the world he had helped to create? This world without war, but still the innocent, like Wan, were killed without mercy. This world where people, like Liang, wore the title "monster" so others, like Zuko, could be kept clean. This world where people cry and rage for their beloved ones who were taken away before their time, and who can never return. This world where the past seemed unescapable.

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End of Chapter One

Umm yeah... If you liked it, please review. If you are confused about the "Blo-lo-lo-lo-loop" thing, please watch "Charlie the Unicorn 2" (which I also do not own).


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everybody! I do hope you enjoy the story thus far.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. It is property of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konieztko, and I will, in no shape or form, be making any profit off this fanfiction, only your kind reviews.

WARNING: This chapter touches upon the touchy subjects of homosexuality and teen sex. I support gays/lesbians/bisexuals and respect their decision (whether due to nature or some other force) to date within the same sex. As for teen sex, let's face it: Many teens have sex, many teens don't. However, if you or someone you love does decide to have sex, please be safe and use a condom.

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Chapter Two

There would be no more laughter on their journey. All of the high spirits of Zuko and his soldiers were scattered to the winds along with Wan remains.

"Come. We still have a half day's hike if we intend to reach Full Moon Bay by tonight," Liang reported to his lord.

Zuko turned to look at his servant. "Very well. Let's proceed as quickly as possible. If anyone has to relieve themselves, do it now. I don't wanna get attacked again while we take a bathroom break."

Ahdou and Ning nodded, disappearing into the forest to take care of "business." Liang, stoic as ever, sat cross-legged and began to meditate. Zuko felt no need to relieve himself the the trees. Instead he turned his attention to Huang. The knife-wielding firebender had stopped crying. His eyes had ran out of tears.

Quite honestly, Zuko could not remember much about Wan and Huang from their days in his exile. Zuko usually kept to himself and his uncle. However, within the first year of his exile, he had once glanced upon the couple making out in the hallway. Zuko had heard stories about naval life, and what an elongated time away from a woman's body did to a man's mind and urges. His father, ever the poster child for machismo, had told him that these stories had been propaganda stirred up to discourage men from joining the navy. But here they were. Two men, not many years older than Zuko, kissing each other passionately, embracing one another as if their lives depended on each other. Still shocked, Zuko fled the scene and went straight to Iroh. Needless to say, that night there was an interesting conversation between uncle and nephew.

Now, older and more experienced, Zuko knew that the love between Wan and Huang was just as normal as the love between husband and wife, and just as strong. Which meant that the pain of one losing the other was just as devastating. Zuko wished he could have said something to comfort the grieving man, but decided against it, fearing that he could only make things worse. Once Ahdou and Ning returned, Zuko gave them all a silent nod, and they resumed their trek to Full Moon Bay. Now cautious against enemy attacks, Liang led the pack, with Zuko guarded by Huang in the center and Ahdou and Ning covering the rear. Not a word would be spoken between the group for the remainder of the trip.

They reached Full Moon Bay just before the ticket counter closed. No longer were refugees scrambling to board one of these barges to reach the "safety" behind Ba Sing Se's walls. These boats now served for mainly tourism. After the war concluded, the Earth King decided to open the figurative walls of the capital, advertising for people to come and visit the historical "last bastion" of the Earth Kingdom. This actually attracted a good flow of tourists. Also Aang's bending-made wildlife enclosure drew in plenty family-oriented vacationers. Money poured in from all over to help the government capitalize on the city's culture and military history. Even the ferries drew in money, telling people to "experience the journey of a refugee for a low price!" This basically meant that people paid to ride on leaky boat and eat bland shit.

"Ning, our passports," Zuko commanded.

"Yes, sir." Ning pulled out a leather pouch from beneath his shirt. He undid the flap and pulled out the fake passports specially forged for incognito entry, handing them to Liang. Liang selected one passport and held it back to Ning in his left hand. In Liang's right hand remained five.

"Oh," Ning muttered with a frown, taking back the sixth passport and returning it to the pouch.

Liang left the group for the ticket counter. The old crone working, eager to leave, did not even bother looking at the passports, simply asking, "How many?" She stamped the tickets, took the money, and Liang returned to Zuko and the others.

Fatigued from their battle and long hike, the group decided to skip the lousy dinner and get some rest. The ferry would reach Ba Sing Se around mid-afternoon the day after tomorrow, so all they could do was wait. Five hours into their voyage and Zuko lay staring at the ugly ceiling of the lower deck. He could not sleep, obviously. Something Liang had said earlier that day kept itching his brain. Could Zuko really be protected from such bloodthirsty monsters? He was the Fire Lord. He was born into a family full of them. Zuko knew that he had changed. Reformed and redeemed. But was what he needed protection against the evils of the world? As a leader, was it not his responsibility to confront these devils head-on and change the future for the better of his people? Zuko calmed himself down. Of course he was dealing with the evils of the world. That was why he responded to the Earth King's plea. That was why he had joined Aang and brought down his demented family. That was why he could not even shed a tear for his fallen guard.

Then, in the corner of Zuko's eye, something stirred. Huang got up from his spot on the floor and proceeded up to the upper deck. Zuko waited a bit before following Huang, quietly slinking past Liang, who had his back propped up against the wall as if he was ready to strike at a moment's notice. When Zuko emerged onto the upper deck, he saw Huang tightly gripping the ship's wooden railing, staring down into the darkness of the lake.

Zuko rushed towards his guard, "No! Huang! Don't do it!"

Huang whipped his head around, shocked at finding the Fire Lord grab his wrist and jerk him away from the railing. "Lord Zuko..." he trailed off.

Zuko stared straight into his eyes, "Don't do it, Huang. Don't let Wan's death pull you down. Don't let his sacrifice-- his love be in vain."

Huang, still with a shocked look on his face, just kept staring at his lord. Only the ambient noise of the boat and water rang between them. Until, out of nowhere, Huang began to laugh. Now it was Zuko's turn to have a shocked look on his face. Once Huang had recovered from his fit of laughter, he sighed, "You thought I was gonna jump, weren't you?"

Zuko simply let go of Huang's wrist and looked down at the floor.

The guard smiled and stood beside his lord, placing a hand on each shoulder. "Hey, I'm sorry that I made you think I was suicidal. Honestly, I did think about jumping, but I know that Wan wouldn't want that. No, I was just remembering," he said as he led Zuko to the railing. "Me and Wan used to do this all the time back in the good ol' days. Just staring out into the darkness. We never told our families about our relationship. They would disown us and beat us out the house! Especially my father, the fundamentalist jackass! Instead we kept it quiet, in the darkness of the night. Hidden from the eyes of people who didn't understand, who didn't want to understand. And most importantly, we had each other." Tears began to seep out of Huang's eyes, and his voice began to crack. "Of course I miss him, like crazy! I'm sad, distraught, angry at the world, and a whole bunch of shit! But Wan left me with so much love, that I can't let these bad feelings destroy my memories of him! I love him so much--" Huang could no longer speak and sank to his knees.

Zuko knelt down beside his guard and gave him a consoling pat on the back. "We have a long ride ahead of us. Take as much time as you need."

Huang nodded rapidly between the flurry of sniffs and hiccups. Zuko stood up and returned to the lower deck, creeping back to his spot.

"That was a wonderful thing you did for him," Liang spoke from his upright position. Even with the horrible lighting down below, Zuko could still make out Liang's closed eyes and tiny smile.

Zuko, not even bothering with stealth anymore, returned to his former laying position. He closed his eyes attepmting to gain some much needed sleep.

"It helps tremendously. Knowing someone cares," Liang spoke. His words definitely reached Zuko's ears.

The next day, Zuko woke up to the light seeping through a crack in the ship. He rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"Good morning sunshine," Ahdou said in a playful tone. Zuko looked around to see the others had already left the lower deck. "If you're wondering about the others, they're out getting lunch, if that's what you can call the slop. Shall we?"

The remainder of the day was rather uneventful. Scattered throughout the day were magic acts to keep the tourists entertained during the seemingly long voyage. Zuko could care less. He found himself staring out at the vast lake in front of him. Wan and Huang existed in the darkness, hiding away in their own special world just for them. Such a world did not exist for the Fire Lord. His romance would always exist in the light, whether he wanted it or not. _Mai,_ Zuko thought, _I wonder what those priests back home are advising her to do right now._

For the past month, with the longer-than-expected political turmoil, many of the adviser/priests had forced upon Zuko the idea to quickly produce an heir. Zuko was infuriated every time the issue was brought up. He and Mai were not even married yet. True, he loved her, and she loved him back. True, they had sex. In fact the week after Ozai had been defeated it was sex, sex, sex every night. They performed intercourse several times between then and this point in time, but they had never conceived. And, more recently, now that his advisers were breathing down his neck to impregnate Mai, Zuko very rarely ever felt in the mood to make love. It sounded like a chore to him now. He did not need the stress of producing children on top of trying to create peace in a chaotic world.

Before Zuko knew it, night had come again. This time, Zuko had decided to eat the crappy dinner with the rest of his soldiers. They ate in silence. Zuko, deciding to be bold, said, "Two years, and it still tastes like badgermole snot."

This earned a forced chuckle from the group. Zuko decided to quit while he was ahead. He did not think that it was that funny either. All these years and he still could not tell a good joke.

Ahdou decided to break the renewed silence, "So... what are we supposed to do once we get into the city?"

Once again there was silence. Then all eyes turned to Zuko. Almost on cue, he pulled a folded piece of paper out of his robes. "We are to meet with one of the Earth King's agents at the old Refugee Processing Station. The agent will be dressed in yellow-green robes and will have a green headpiece in her hair. From there, we will be led to the Earth King's palace via wall trolley."

"Sounds simple enough," Ahdou commented. "You got any idea what the Earth King is gonna request from the Fire Nation?"

"No, he didn't specify. But it sounds desperate if he sent out a request for assistance." Zuko folded the paper back and placed it back in his robes.

"Stay on your guard," Liang advised in a commanding voice, "In a city as large and populated as Ba Sing Se, there is likely to be trouble afoot."

Zuko knew all to well. The Dai Li did excellent work in keeping their brainwashing operations a secret for as long as the organization existed. And now, without the Dai Li to keep their sense of "order," there could possibly be another organization underground pulling the strings of the city from the shadows.

"Liang, lighten up. You're depressing," spoke Ning.

Liang rose from his seated position, "Oh, depressing am I?" A heavy tension hung in the air as Liang's eyes pierced Ning's. He walked towards Ning, stopping right in front of the firebender, and knelt down until both men's eyes were on the same level. Zuko felt himself gulp. "Blo-lo-lo-lo-loop," Liang flickered his tongue.

This earned a roaring laugh amongst the group. Zuko wondered why he could not do this. Why he could not just seem to connect with these people who would lay down their lives for him?

After "dinner," they retired. They woke up the next day, and an excruciating amount of time later, complete with another painfully dull magic act, they arrived at Ba Sing Se. The "authentic refugee subway" brought them to the processing center. Once they stepped out of the subway car, they found the Earth King's agent there waiting for them. It was a woman, wearing the same outfit as described on the paper. She looked normal enough, except for her creepy, disturbing smile.

"Hello. My name is Joo Dee."

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Please review? I guarantee you things are about to get a lot more interesting/twisted... least I think so?


	3. Chapter 3

Back! Sorry this one took so long. The wonderful procrastination combination of vacation and writer's block. Hopefully you all are enjoying the story!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. If I did, then (please insert desired change to Avatar plot here.)

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Chapter Three

"Please follow me. I will guide you to the wall trolley," said Joo Dee. Zuko felt the tiny hairs on his arm stand up. Something about their new guide just sent out a feeling of unnaturalness, as if it were bleeding through that eerie smile.

The trolley station itself, at least the one that escorted ranked officials to the Earth King's palace, was located in a separate building, just a couple streets away from the processing center. It seemed that Ba Sing Se kept to its old tradition of dividing up the classes behind walls. Him and his guards followed Joo Dee outside, where Zuko was hit with something unexpected.

"Sir? Would you like to buy a bracelet or necklace for your girlfriend? Only two silver pieces." A little girl, probably not even ten-years-old, came up to the unsuspecting Fire Lord, carrying an assortment of accessories. She had asked Zuko with such wide and innocent eyes. Zuko noticed her dirtied clothes and lack of shoes. Toph preferred not to wear shoes so that she could see through earthbending. He doubted she was trying to emulate the blind hero.

He did not know what kind of response to give and tried to avoid eye contact all together. "Huh? Uhh... sorry, but--"

"Hey you there!" a loud, gruff voice cut Zuko off. The voice caused the little girl to jump back a bit and run off in the opposite direction of it, disappearing into the sea of people. A few seconds later, a large, brawny man with a strong facial hair jogged up to Zuko. "I'm sorry about that," apologized the man. From his outfit, it looked like he was a policeman or just local security.

"Was something wrong?" Zuko asked, perplexed by what had just occurred.

"People like that girl aren't authorized to sell here," the guard said with a condescending look on his face.

Zuko did not like the way the man say it. "What do you mean, 'like that girl?'"

The guard folded his arms across his chest, as if he had told this story thousands of times too many. "Listen kid. You know how Ba Sing Se was taken over by the Fire Nation a couple years back? Lots of people left town, leaving behind what little they had. And then, when the war ended, the people that decided to come back came back to nothing. Then, when the city decided to open up for tourism, a lot of the them decided to hock off these cheap souvenirs. Because they don't operate within our normal procedures, it's been hard to maintain a steady market, but the tourists just eat 'em up. So a bunch of rules were set up to discourage tourists from buying from these souvenirs. One of them restricts where these sellers can do business, and they can't do it here."

The Fire Lord took a deep sigh. He never did favor how things operated in Ba Sing Se. Change was a slow process for the system, whether it was due to all the red tape the bureaucrats had to sift through to get things done or when different groups within the system had conflicting agendas. And while the process to make change was going on, the rich were getting richer while the poor got poorer. Only the nobility or high-rank military leaders had any real influence over the government. Zuko thought the Earth King would have made some change to the system after the Dai Li was disbanded, however things only seemed just as chaotic during the war.

"Listen. The girl didn't bother us in any way. Could you let her go just this once?" Zuko asked.

The security guard's face contorted into an ugly expression. "Who do you think you are? Think you can waltz into this city and tell me what I can and cannot do?"

The man drew his hand back, curling it into a fist. Zuko held his ground. Then, as the punch flew straight at him, Zuko caught the man's wrist only centimeters away from his face. He twisted his attacker's arm, causing the security guard to arch his back and stand on his toes. His mouth was open as if he meant to scream in pain, but Zuko could tell he was holding it in for what left he had of his pride. Stubborn fool.

"I just made a request," Zuko coolly replied.

"Ah-o-okay! Alright! I'll let her go!"

Zuko released the man from his grasp. The man rubbed his shoulder, giving Zuko a dirty look, and walked back towards the direction he came. Zuko turned towards the opposite direction. He noticed the little girl peeking out from behind the wall of a building. When she saw him notice her hiding spot, she ran into the alley and out of Zuko's sight. Zuko frowned. Born royalty, he knew that he was lucky (cursed) to be brought into the world with by a family of privilege, not be poor and starving (excluding life on the run in the Earth Kingdom, alone and with Iroh). The girl... should not she be in school? Where were her parents? How long could she continue living like this before dropping dead?

"My lord," Ning interrupted Zuko's thoughts. "We should go. Joo Dee is..."

Zuko turned his head to where he left the rest of the group and their guide. Joo Dee was standing as stiff as a statue. Her right eye was twitching, as if she were having a seizure. Ahdou was trying to snap her out off her fit, but Joo Dee would not stop. "Hello. My name is Joo Dee. Please follow me. I will guide you to the wall trolley. Hello. My name is Joo Dee..." she kept repeating over and over again. Liang appeared from the crowd with workers from the processing station. One of the workers ran back into the station, and minutes later a pigeon with tiny metal canister around its leg flew out of the center and towards the palace.

When news of Joo Dee's episode reached the Earth King, he decided to forsake the subtle approach and sent in his imperial guards to pick up Zuko and the rest. Several armored soldiers marched their way through the congested streets until they reached the processing center. Upon arriving, one of the men broke from the line and approached the scene. The workers whom Liang brought quickly scurried away.

"Step aside," the soldier instructed Ahdou. Ahdou stepped back while the man walked up to the still-spazzing Joo Dee. The soldier brought two fingers up to a spot on Joo Dee's neck and pushed down on it with a moderate force. Zuko noticed Joo Dee's pupils dilate before her eyelids closed and she collapsed.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Ahdou shouted.

The soldier turned to look at Ahdou, emotionless. "It was necessary. In her condition, it would prove most difficult to transport her. Therefore, for her safety and the safety of others, we had her sedated."

"Yeah, but--"

"Ahdou," Zuko interjected, "Let it go." Ahdou opened his mouth to say something, but then surrendered to his lord's command. Zuko walked towards the man leading the imperial guard, "I believe you can take us to the Earth King."

The man bowed to his king's guest, "Yes Fire Lord, we shall escort you to the palace. This time, hopefully, without any other problems."

Upon arriving at the palace, Joo Dee, still knocked out, was taken away to somewhere that the captain of the guard described as "classified." The captain then led the Fire Nation representatives to the doors Earth King's throne room.

"His majesty, the Earth King, has been expecting you," the captain said before earthbending the large stone doors open.

Within the chamber sat the Earth King. He rose to meet his guests as Zuko led his guards down the green carpet. "Welcome Fire Lord Zuko and friends! We welcome you to Ba Sing Se and are most grateful and humbled that you have responded to our request by personally arriving to discuss negotiations! However, due to recent fortunate events, we no longer have need for assistance from the Fire Nation."

The news of the "fortunate events" caused Zuko to come to a halt, jaw dropped in shock.

"Y-you're joking right?" Ahdou spoke out of turn.

Zuko stepped closer to the Earth King. "Forgive my servant, but I am also curious as to what is going on and why do you suddenly not require the help you requested."

"Well, I suppose I owe you an explanation," the Earth King sat down and said, "You see, we have been suffering many bandit attacks along the outskirts of our city's jurisdiction, which is why we sent out a request for aid. A few days ago, we were fortunate enough for a group called Dol to agree to protect these areas. In exchange for their services, all they ask is that we supply them with food and drink."

"What exactly are the Dol? Where did they came from anyway?" Zuko asked in an annoyed tone.

"From what my advisers have told me, they are a militia of the lower class within the city."

"And you would place the safety of your city and the tourists in the hands of this militia over my trained forces?"

"I'm sorry Fire Lord. But you must understand, there still remains a deep-seeded hatred of the Fire Nation Army in the people's minds. If your soldiers were to enter the Earth Kingdom, I could not guarantee their safety, especially among the common folk."

Zuko started to grind his teeth in anger. "So then why did you tell Joo Dee to bring us here?"

"Ah-- Well we figured that you would have liked to rest within the city rather than leave immediately. Please relax and enjoy yourselves. We'll have a banquet prepared--"

"That won't be necessary. My guards and I will be lodging with my uncle. The arrangements have already been made. If we no longer have any business to discuss, then I'll take my leave," Zuko said. He stiffly gave a customary bow, then turned about and walk towards the room's exit.

Zuko took note of the expressions his guards wore. Looks of shock, disgust, anguish. Ning appeared to be confused while Ahdou seemed like he was ready to punch someone in anger. Even the ever-stoic Liang had furrowed his brow and sent a nasty glare in the Earth King's direction. And Huang... head down, his whole body was shaking. He dared not look up at the throne, trying to restrain his fury from striking the Earth King.

"Let's go," Zuko muttered. His guards sent their last dirty looks towards the Earth King, then followed their leader.

As they left the palace, Zuko found himself thinking about the past. _How dare that stubborn Earth King fool?! Make a mockery of me?! I'll have him devoured by my flame!_ That was how he would have reacted in the past, and he would have been stupid enough to follow through with that thought. But the Zuko of the present knew better. The anger was still there, of being treated as a liability, of why Wan's sacrifice had now been in vain, of the state of this whole damn city. However, even with the power of his rank, there was little he could do in this country. Such would not be good politics and probably held little weight in a country of anti-Fire Naton sentiments.

Iroh's tea shop and residence was in the neighboring district, so the walk there was comparatively short. But an awkward silence hung in the air among the Fire Nation men, oozing a vibe of discomfort. All were thinking the same thing, but each restrained himself from lashing out in public. In about ten minutes, they were in front of Iroh's shop. A queue of patrons had looped its around the decent-sized shop.

Already annoyed and in need of rest, Zuko shouted, "Uncle!"

Within a matter of seconds, Iroh ran out of his shop to greet his nephew. "Zuko!" he exclaimed and wrapped him in a strong hug, "Please come in, all of you."

The guards gave Iroh a polite bow and followed their host inside, drawing the confused, dirty, and amazed stares of the tourists and higher-class locals. The popular tea shop was buzzing with business within. Iroh had hired several workers with his love and skill for tea. They were rushing to fill the orders with great haste and grace, quickly preparing and serving the tea without spilling a drop. The customers seemed to be satisfied, Zuko had observed. But he also noticed some who looked irked, probably tourists who were falling behind their schedule he figured.

Iroh had led Zuko and his guards past this scene and to a private patio overlooking the city. Zuko remembered being here two years ago with his friends celebrating the defeat of his father. They had never met in this room since that time. Back then they would always write to one another frequently and make an effort to meet with one another at least every other week, but as time wore on, the flow of letters grew stagnant and the visits were limited to diplomatic meetings, and even those had stopped among the old team. Everyone was occupied with their own section of the world.

"Go on, sit down. I'll be back with some special tea for the occasion," Iroh said before he left the patio for the kitchen.

Once Iroh was out of hearing range, Ahdou let it all loose, "Damn that Earth King?! Who does he think the people of the Fire Nation are?! That we're all some third class barbarians not worthy of respect?!"

"Ahdou, calm down," Ning tried to curb his friend's temper, "I hate what the Earth King decided, but he does have a point. We could be throwing our men into an angry mob. And if something should happen if they try to defend themselves, people from both nations might want to reignite the war."

"Just because that _could_ happen doesn't make the Earth King's decision fair! We come all the way out here on a bunch of boats only to lose Wan and get a 'Sorry, but we no longer have need for your assistance,' and we're just supposed to leave it at that?!" Ahdou shouted back.

Hearing Wan's name caused Huang to stand up, head still down, "Excuse me Lord Zuko. I'm going to take some time to look around the city. Please give Sir Iroh my apologies." Huang bowed then hastily made his exit.

Liang stood up and bowed. "I will make sure that he does not do anything foolish," he said before following after Huang. Just as he was about to leave, Iroh walked into the patio with a tray with a teapot and cups. "Excuse me Sir Iroh. I am afraid that I must sample your tea another time," Liang bowed and continued after Huang

Iroh walked towards the three remaining men and set the tray on the table. "Is there anything wrong?" Iroh asked while pouring the tea into four cups. He placed one cup each in front of himself and his guests.

"Uncle, what's going on in this city?" Zuko asked. He explained what happened to Wan, the incident with the seller girl, their unnaturally-smiling guide Joo Dee, and the Earth King's rejection of the assistance he asked for in the first place.

"Hmm, it's those damned advisers again." Iroh commented, looking serious while stroking his beard.

This piqued Zuko's curiosity. "Advisers?" Zuko asked.

"Yes. Since he began his rule, the Earth King had been a puppet for the Dai Li, so he had grown accustomed to following whatever they had instructed. And now that the Dai Li are no more, he has surrounded himself with advisers, many of whom still resent the Fire Nation. They are also the reason why the city is in the crowded state that it's in."

"Uncle, why haven't you explained this to the Earth King?"

"Bah, I have tried to many times. But those advisers have got the Earth King wrapped around their finger. I still am known as 'The Dragon of the West',' but in this city it means nothing. Here I am a simple tea shop owner from the Fire Nation."

"Then come back with us. You're still revered as a great hero back home. You can live there and set up another tea shop where you don't have to worry about anti-Fire Nation mobs."

"Zuko, you know I can't do that. This is my home now. Soo Jung, Nana, Jae Won, all of them are like family to me now. And you know that's the life I wanted to leave behind. Besides they grow some of the best herbs for tea here, not to mention the excellent pai sho--"

"Okay Uncle, I get it," Zuko said before finishing the last of his tea.

Iroh took Zuko's empty cup and refilled it before handing it back. "That being said, we still have a couple more hours until night falls. How about it? Would you like me to introduce you to some beautiful, young lady frie--"

"Uncle!" Zuko yelped.

This drew a chuckle from Ning, "If Lord Zuko doesn't mind, I'll take you up on your offer Sir Iroh."

"Tch... whatever," Zuko muttered, rolling his eyes.

Ning grinned, "Thank you tremendously. C'mon Ahdou, let's take your mind off of recent events."

"Yeah yeah," Ahdou complied. "What do you plan to do, my lord?"

"Huang and Liang aren't back yet. I'll wait here for them," Zuko replied.

"Well then, shall we go?" Iroh stood. "See you much later tonight then, my nephew." Ning and Ahdou also stood up. The guards bowed and then left with Iroh to Agni-knows-where.

For hours Zuko just sat there with his tea observing the view of the city and pondering the problems he now faced. Only a few years ago had his goals been simple: find the Avatar and regain his honor. But now all of these duties were being forced down his neck. To maintain order in the Fire Nation, to serve as a diplomat to maintain order in the world, to produce a capable heir to succeed him, to take the fall for his country if it came to that. Zuko wished Aang was here to give him advice. The boy, now a young man, was wise far beyond his years and seemed to have the greatest luck when it came to matters of keeping peace in the world. But Zuko had not talked face to face with the Avatar for half a year already. Their last meeting had ended rather short. The two men had only enough time to exchange greetings and small talk about the weather and their girlfriends before Aang was called away to attend to a meeting called by the Order of the White Louts.

Before Zuko knew it, the bright blue sky had switched to a midnight hue, filled with stars and a full moon. The upper and middle rings of the city, and also a few sections of the lower, were lit up with lanterns. Their glow brought another person to Zuko's mind. Jin, the girl who kissed him so voraciously at the fountain. The last time he saw her, he was passing the same fountain with Mai before he went back home after betraying his uncle and Aang. Mai had volunteered to show Jin how to throw knives, with a fish atop Zuko's head as the target. The inexperienced Earth Kingdom girl had almost killed him with an icicle before he fell into the fountain. Zuko wondered whatever happened to Jin. Did she still live in the city? Is she even alive? Or was she... like Jet?

_Whoa! Where did that come from?_ Zuko asked himself. Jet. The other soul whom he had become 'close' with during his years as a refugee. There was no actual evidence that had been reported to prove that he had died, but if the confirmation of his mother's death had taught him anything about lack of evidence... well, Zuko did not want to think about it. He learned that Jet 'died' honorably, and Zuko respected him for that. _Hmm..._ _I mind as well pay my respects_, Zuko thought.

None of his guards had returned yet. Zuko decided to leave a message with one of the waitresses for them and Iroh, and then he was off to visit Lake Laogai. The trolley took Zuko as far out as the inner wall. From there he would have to walk all the way through the agrarian zone. The entrance was a bit further down from the station. Even before Zuko finished climbing down the stairs from the station to the ground, something caught his eye in the lantern light. A familiar flash of blue had slipped into an alley. _No, couldn't be_, Zuko thought before he chased the figure into the alley. It was only him and the figure walking through. There were no lanterns to make out any distinguishing features, but Zuko could tell that this person was definitely female. Zuko clung to the shadows while observing the woman. _So far she looks right, but what are the chances?_ The woman seemed oblivious to Zuko's presence. He heard the clunk of something hitting the ground. She had dropped something. She bent to pick it up, and then, all of the sudden, Zuko received a strong water whip to the face. He twirled around in the air for a bit before finally falling to the ground.

Dazed he turned towards his attacker, whose silhouette was all he could see in the moonlight. "Ka... Katara?"

The woman quickly brought a hand to her mouth and gasped, "Zuko?"

* * *

Now things are getting interesting? Please review.


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